Memoirs
Scary Moments: How I Almost Lost the Job of a Lifetime
by Irwin Lengel (Florida, USA)
It all started with my acceptance of the position as a commercial lines insurance underwriter trainee, working out of the Philadelphia office in 1968. My training period would be for one year. After that, there were two possibilities that would affect my future. The first was that upon completion of my training program, I might be required to transfer to an office somewhere else in the country. The second was that, should no other office require my services, the Philadelphia office would be able to add me to their staff. Either way, it would mean that my wife and family would be transferring to another locale within a year. Having accepted the training position in Philadelphia and knowing the possibilities at the end of one year, we chose not to move to the Philadelphia area but instead stayed in Reading, PA, and I commuted by train. Not wanting to move twice, first to Philadelphia and then again to another locale, we decided to wait and see what the outcome would be at the end of the year.
As luck would have it, almost one year to the day I completed my training program, we learned that the office in Jacksonville, FL, was expanding their operation and in need of up and coming underwriters. When I discussed the situation with my wife, she could not believe it. What an opportunity! Who would not want a chance of moving to and working in the sunny state of Florida. So after receiving my wife’s blessing, I arranged to fly to Jacksonville, FL (my first flight ever), to meet the two people who might change our lives forever.
Upon my arrival in Jacksonville, I took the limo that was to take me to my hotel and after freshening up made my way to the office of A____ Insurance Company, located in the Florida National Bank building. Having proceeded to the fifth floor, I met with the branch manager and the underwriting manager. I did not realize at the time that some Floridians actually spoke with a southern drawl but such was the case with the branch manager. He was a short, slightly balding white haired man, the epitome of what I called a true southern gentleman. While I have had a number of superiors during my many years in the insurance industry, I never worked for anyone like him. It was truly a pleasure. The underwriting manager was much younger, but also slightly balding. It was his job to determine whether I had the technical savvy required for the position, while the branch manager would have the final say as to whether or not I would be hired.
After the interview, I was asked to go out and get a cup of coffee and return within fifteen to twenty minutes. I left the building in search of a restaurant, and after I’d finished my coffee, started back towards the office. But the strangest thing happened to me. For the life of me I couldn't find it! Yet I knew that I had merely left the building, walked a few blocks, located a restaurant, and had a cup of coffee. Why couldn’t I see it? It should be right in front of me. How weird was that? I looked and looked but could not find the building I had left no more than fifteen minutes ago. Great, I thought, here I am in sunny Florida, both individuals seemed to like me and the interview appeared to go well. I had felt fairly confident that my training had paid off and I was going to be offered the position. What was I to do? I couldn’t even find my way back to the office. How embarrassing! Time was ticking away. They were probably saying to each other right now: “Doesn’t this guy know how to tell time? Fifteen or twenty minutes means fifteen or twenty minutes. Where is he?”
Then, almost as fast as I had lost the building, it reappeared. I crossed the street, looked up (it was a fifteen story building), and lo and behold, there it was, right smack in front of me. I realized later what had happened: I hadn’t realized that the office building actually encompassed the entire city block. Upon arriving at the building earlier, I had entered it on one side, but when leaving to go for coffee, my mind had been on the interview and the possible move to Florida, and I hadn’t even noticed that I had gone out the opposite side of the building. Fortunately for me, though, I hadn’t walked too far after leaving the restaurant.
It was a good thing I found my way back to the office because they did offer me the position. Prior to my leaving for Florida my wife and I had agreed that if I wanted it and felt I could work for those people, I would accept the job on the spot, which I duly did.
After flying back to Reading, we became very excited about the move to Florida, even though it would mean moving away from the area where we had both grown up and we would be leaving family behind, but we decided it was the chance of a lifetime. One thing we did not want to do later in life was look back and say, “Gee, I wonder how our lives would have turned out had we not moved to Florida?” We reached out and grabbed the golden ring. I could say that we all lived happily ever after, but instead let me just quote Paul Harvey during his radio broadcasts – “and now for the rest of the story...”
As luck would have it, almost one year to the day I completed my training program, we learned that the office in Jacksonville, FL, was expanding their operation and in need of up and coming underwriters. When I discussed the situation with my wife, she could not believe it. What an opportunity! Who would not want a chance of moving to and working in the sunny state of Florida. So after receiving my wife’s blessing, I arranged to fly to Jacksonville, FL (my first flight ever), to meet the two people who might change our lives forever.
Upon my arrival in Jacksonville, I took the limo that was to take me to my hotel and after freshening up made my way to the office of A____ Insurance Company, located in the Florida National Bank building. Having proceeded to the fifth floor, I met with the branch manager and the underwriting manager. I did not realize at the time that some Floridians actually spoke with a southern drawl but such was the case with the branch manager. He was a short, slightly balding white haired man, the epitome of what I called a true southern gentleman. While I have had a number of superiors during my many years in the insurance industry, I never worked for anyone like him. It was truly a pleasure. The underwriting manager was much younger, but also slightly balding. It was his job to determine whether I had the technical savvy required for the position, while the branch manager would have the final say as to whether or not I would be hired.
After the interview, I was asked to go out and get a cup of coffee and return within fifteen to twenty minutes. I left the building in search of a restaurant, and after I’d finished my coffee, started back towards the office. But the strangest thing happened to me. For the life of me I couldn't find it! Yet I knew that I had merely left the building, walked a few blocks, located a restaurant, and had a cup of coffee. Why couldn’t I see it? It should be right in front of me. How weird was that? I looked and looked but could not find the building I had left no more than fifteen minutes ago. Great, I thought, here I am in sunny Florida, both individuals seemed to like me and the interview appeared to go well. I had felt fairly confident that my training had paid off and I was going to be offered the position. What was I to do? I couldn’t even find my way back to the office. How embarrassing! Time was ticking away. They were probably saying to each other right now: “Doesn’t this guy know how to tell time? Fifteen or twenty minutes means fifteen or twenty minutes. Where is he?”
Then, almost as fast as I had lost the building, it reappeared. I crossed the street, looked up (it was a fifteen story building), and lo and behold, there it was, right smack in front of me. I realized later what had happened: I hadn’t realized that the office building actually encompassed the entire city block. Upon arriving at the building earlier, I had entered it on one side, but when leaving to go for coffee, my mind had been on the interview and the possible move to Florida, and I hadn’t even noticed that I had gone out the opposite side of the building. Fortunately for me, though, I hadn’t walked too far after leaving the restaurant.
It was a good thing I found my way back to the office because they did offer me the position. Prior to my leaving for Florida my wife and I had agreed that if I wanted it and felt I could work for those people, I would accept the job on the spot, which I duly did.
After flying back to Reading, we became very excited about the move to Florida, even though it would mean moving away from the area where we had both grown up and we would be leaving family behind, but we decided it was the chance of a lifetime. One thing we did not want to do later in life was look back and say, “Gee, I wonder how our lives would have turned out had we not moved to Florida?” We reached out and grabbed the golden ring. I could say that we all lived happily ever after, but instead let me just quote Paul Harvey during his radio broadcasts – “and now for the rest of the story...”
Lesley Hayoun (Israel): You really made me smile. Unhappily I know that sinking feeling when you can't find your way, and it happens to me all too frequently!
Irwin Lengel's response: Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my article. I felt so inadequate at the time, but as luck would have it, all turned out quite well and we are presently enjoying a very happy retirement that, quite frankly, I attribute to our taking the chance and moving to Florida back then. Glad you enjoyed the article.